HR Assistant

Karla Otto is a globally recognised public relations and communications agency, founded in 1982, with offices in 15 key cities across the UK, EMEA, US, and Asia. With a strong presence in fashion capitals such as Milan, London, Paris, and New York, the agency has built a reputation for representing some of the most prestigious names in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle.

In 2017, Karla Otto merged with K2 to form THE INDEPENDENTS, a global marketing, design, and communications group. This collective brings together industry leaders who share a commitment to innovation, excellence, and thoughtful collaboration across the luxury and lifestyle sectors.

At Karla Otto, our team of expert strategists, designers, planners and publicists are dedicated to delivering exceptional results and establishing long-term partnerships with our clients. We are passionate about the world of fashion, beauty, and luxury, with everyone bringing their unique expertise and insights to the table. We are driven by a shared commitment to excellence and a deep understanding of the ever-evolving industry landscape.

About the opportunity

We’re looking for someone who is eager to learn, keen to get stuck in and excited to be part of a team. This is a great opportunity for someone with a good baseline of HR or Talent Acquisition experience who is looking to build on their knowledge, develop their skills and get involved across a broad range of people-related activities.

You’ll be joining a busy, collaborative team where there’s plenty to get involved in, so we’re looking for someone who brings a positive attitude, a willingness to learn and a hands-on approach. No two days will be exactly the same, and we want someone who is curious, asks questions, gets involved and enjoys learning as they go.

Key Responsibilities

• Reporting directly to the UK Senior HR Manager, providing day-to-day support across a variety of HR processes, projects and initiatives.

• Coordinate the onboarding process for new starters, working across multiple HR systems and ensuring all required steps are completed to provide a smooth employee experience.

• Maintain accurate employee, recruitment and organisational data across HR systems, including Workday and Teamtailor.

• Support the administration of payroll and Learning & Development systems, ensuring employee information is accurate and changes are processed in a timely manner.

• Assist with improving and streamlining HR processes, systems and ways of working.

• Maintain accurate employee records and HR files, ensuring new starter information and employee changes are reflected across all relevant systems.

• Monitor sickness and absence records, ensuring information is accurately recorded across relevant systems and calendars.

• Support recruitment administration through Teamtailor, including maintaining candidate information and assisting with recruitment processes.

• Prepare HR documentation, including offer letters, employment contracts and contract variations.

• Maintain UK organisational charts and provide administrative support to other territories where required.

• Support the HR Manager with key people processes, projects and initiatives that contribute to a positive employee experience and high-performance culture.

• Respond to employee queries, providing support and guidance on HR processes and systems and escalating more complex queries where appropriate.

• Provide support across additional HR projects and administrative tasks as required.

HR Systems: Workday | Teamtailor | Payroll Systems | Learning & Development Systems

Key Attributes

• Previous experience in an HR administration or HR Assistant role, with a genuine interest in developing a career in HR.

• Strong attention to detail and a thorough, organised approach to work, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.

• Ability to work independently on day-to-day responsibilities, while knowing when to ask questions or seek support.

• High level of integrity, discretion and an understanding of the importance of confidentiality when handling employee information.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, with a friendly and approachable manner.

• Comfortable using Microsoft Office, particularly Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, and confident learning and navigating HR systems.

• A proactive, positive and enthusiastic approach, with a willingness to learn and develop.

• Flexible and solutions-focused, with a practical approach to resolving day-to-day challenges.

• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, prioritising tasks and adapting to changing requirements.

At Karla Otto, we are always looking for personalities with positive charisma who are enthusiastic, self-motivated, and have a keen sense of aesthetics.

Karla Otto embraces and celebrates diversity, inclusivity, and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Karla Otto provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join our team!